NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The city of New Rochelle on Wednesday marked the 48th anniversary of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, one of the deadliest days in its history. On February 14, 1977, a disgruntled former employee armed with a high-powered rifle killed five people at the former Neptune World Moving Company on Nardozzi Place.
Among the victims was New Rochelle Police Officer Allen B. McLeod, who was shot and killed as he arrived at the scene. McLeod, a six-year veteran of the department, was 33 years old. He left behind his wife, Donna, and two sons, Allen Jr. and Christopher.
The massacre remains a defining moment in New Rochelle’s history, serving as a solemn reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face. The New Rochelle Police Department recognized the anniversary on social media, calling it “one of the most violent days in New Rochelle history.”
Today marks 48 years since one of the deadliest workplace shootings in New York history, when a suspended worker with a fascination for Nazi ideology killed five people and wounded five others at Neptune Worldwide Moving Company in New Rochelle.
On February 14, 1977, 33-year-old Frederick W. Cowan, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, four pistols, and bandoliers of ammunition, stormed the company’s office-warehouse complex. He fatally shot four coworkers and wounded two others before turning his fire on responding officers from a window. New Rochelle Police Officer Allen B. McLeod, the first to arrive, was killed, and three other officers were wounded.
“He just started shooting and everybody started running all over the place,” a surviving employee said at the time. “He walked in, and everybody started screaming and running. It was just mayhem.”
Cowan, a former furniture mover for the company, had been suspended two weeks earlier for refusing to move a refrigerator. Police Commissioner William Hagerty said the gunman had vowed to “get even” with a supervisor who had disciplined him. After a prolonged standoff with police, Cowan killed himself inside the building.
Officer McLeod’s sacrifice continues to be honored by the department and the community nearly five decades later.